


Dance in the Setting Sun

by Lexen (bluedragoninamber)



Series: The Headmistress and the Auror:  A Sitting Room for my Minerva McGonagall/Amelia Bones Stories [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Afterlife, Bittersweet, F/F, Gen, Same-Sex Marriage, Suicide, Terminal Illness, Triggers, death wth dignity, discussion of illness, end of life issues, mature content, repost, slash (female/female)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 06:30:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19941742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluedragoninamber/pseuds/Lexen
Summary: Could you take this single moment with your beloved and be happy?  And if you learn that your moment will be cut far too short, could you keep loving anyway?  After the Second Wizarding War, Minerva McGonagall and Amelia Bones finally get the chance to find out.





	1. Dancing Without Music

**Author's Note:**

> Please Read: This story is mine. I am the original and only author. It was first posted on FFN more than five years ago. I don’t remember exactly when. I took all my stories down off the internet and left the HP fandom due to personal reasons. I am now returning to the fandom and reposting some of my old stories. When I posted these stories on FFN, my penname was Lexen (and sometimes Hope4astalemate and bluedragoninamber) though I usually went by Lex. To repeat, this story is mine. Please don’t claim I have stolen it from someone else. Also, please don’t ask me to repost a particular story. I will be reposting only those stories which I choose to repost, and I will only be reposting them here.

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: This story revolves around a femme slash relationship between Minerva McGonagall and Amelia Bones. It is AU in that Amelia Bones survives the war. I have also set that Minerva is only about six years older than Amelia.**

**The prompt for this first chapter was “dancing without music.”**

“How are you doing, Min?” Amelia asked as she dusted floo powder off herself, eyeing Minerva with concern.

Tired green eyes found hers as the headmistress managed a wan smile. “I’m exhausted. We’ve gotten nearly everything done, and we are almost ready to reopen the school. But I freely admit to being worn to the bone. Even with all the help from the students and staff, I’ve still had to do a lot of it myself. I hold the wards now, and Hogwarts listens first to me.” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “But that’s enough about me. How have you been?”

The navy blue eyes sparkled. “I’ve been admiring just how well Kingsley has been handling things and smoothly talking him out of reinstating me as head of the aurors. After all that’s happened, I’ve had enough of fighting dark magic to last a lifetime.”

Minerva’s green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Would you happen to be interested in another position?”

Amelia leaned over the desk. “Do you have an opening?”

“How would you like to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? We’re in desperate need of a professor for that one; I’ve found replacements for everything else.”

Amelia looked at her appraisingly. “It sounds ideal. I’d be happy to accept, and I suppose I’m more than qualified.”

They both laughed.

Minerva got up and went over to the window, staring out over the grounds. “And what would you say if I admit that I have an ulterior motive in offering you the position?”

Amelia joined her, gently resting her hand on Minerva’s tense shoulder.

“I’d probably say the same thing that you would say to me if I admitted that I have an ulterior motive in accepting the position.”

Hardly aware that she was doing it, Minerva leaned into Amelia’s touch, and Amelia immediately slipped her arms around the slightly older witch’s waist. With a relieved sigh, Minerva melted into Amelia’s arms even as Amelia reached up to unfasten the pins that held her companion’s bun in place. The grey hair soon tumbled freely, and Amelia rested her chin on Minerva’s shoulder. 

“Dance with me, Min,” Amelia whispered. 

The elder witch stirred, turning her head slightly. “But we have no music.”

“Dance with me anyway, like we used to when we were young.”

If anyone had interrupted the headmistress at that moment, they would have found two witches, no longer youthful and some would say no longer beautiful, swaying gently in each other’s arms.


	2. Chocolate

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “chocolate.”**

“Amelia, that’s enough! I really don’t need any more chocolate! I’ll never be able to fasten my robes if you keep feeding me!” Minerva’s indignant spiel was cut short as Amelia popped another piece of fine chocolate into her lover’s unresisting mouth.

Amelia grinned, looking down into the flashing green eyes. “You love it, and you know it. It’s long past time that you indulged yourself. You’ve more than earned it.” She slid down the bed to lie on her side and propped her head on one arm even as she picked up more chocolate.

Chuckling, Minerva stretched languidly in a fashion that her feline compatriots would have relished. As she savored her next bite of chocolate, she cast admiring eyes over the length of her lover’s body, only barely concealed by the sheer blue robe she wore. It was navy blue to match Amelia’s eyes. Minerva’s own robe was deep green, a match for her own eyes and something so sensual that she would never have even dreamed of buying the thing, much less wearing it, if it had not been a gift from Amelia.

But then, conservative had never been Amelia’s style, and traditional had always been Minerva’s. The confident, daring, wild auror had been the cure for Minerva’s stoic nature from the first day they had met, and Minerva had managed to reign in Amelia’s recklessness when not even Moody could. The two of them had spent more years apart than they cared to acknowledge, both being far too proud and independent to admit to attachment to anything or anyone besides their careers. Now that they were older, wiser, and nursing their scars from what they hoped to be their last war, they had finally seen fit to admit that they were indeed capable of loving each other even more than the people they had served faithfully for so long. 

It was the most frightening thing that either of them had ever done.

Swallowing the last of the chocolate, Minerva laughed lowly and abruptly rolled over, pinning Amelia beneath her. The younger witch’s half-closed eyes flew wide open, but before she could speak, Minerva had caught her lips in a kiss. The chocolate was bittersweet on their entwined tongues, and there was the memory of salty tears beneath the sweetness.

Somehow, the bitterness only made it sweeter.


	3. Bed

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “bed.”**

It had been only a few months since Amelia had found her way back into Minerva’s heart, but Minerva was already finding it a very pleasant experience to wake up in Amelia’s bed with her arms around her lover. Waking up in her own bed with Amelia’s arms around her was equally pleasant. If Minerva was being honest with herself, she would also admit that sometimes the two of them didn’t manage to make it to a bed. However, sofas, armchairs, and plush rugs would do in a pinch. They were always sore the next morning, but neither woman minded much.

“You can’t seem to stop stealing the covers at night,” Amelia teased Minerva as they made the bed together. A flick of a wand or a house elf would have taken care of the chore in a moment, but it was just one more memory that they could make together. 

Minerva tossed a green pillow at the younger witch, chuckling as Amelia easily ducked out of the way.

“Well, you snore, so I think we’re even.” Minerva shook her head in amusement as Amelia stuck out her tongue, and then it was Minerva’s turn to dodge the pillow that was thrown back at her.

Amelia sighed in exasperation that was mostly feigned. “Why don’t you just cast a silencing charm? Snoring is something that even magic can’t fix!”

Minerva eyed her lover with fondness and an edge of concern.

“Your auror instincts are legendary, Amelia. I really don’t want to end up on the wrong side of your wand in the middle of the night when the charm magic wakes you.”

The expression on Amelia’s face turned pensive. She turned away for a moment, and then glanced with uncharacteristic shyness over her shoulder at Minerva.

“I think that’s highly unlikely,” Amelia said softly. 

Puzzled, Minerva responded, “Why would it be?”

Amelia’s whisper was a breath of bewildered wonder. “You make me feel safe.”

Minerva’s arms around her made further words unnecessary.


	4. Fall

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “fall.”**

Fall seemed to come earlier and earlier every year. It was a week until Halloween, but Minerva was already wearing her heavy winter cloak as she walked across the grounds of Hogwarts with her arm through the arm of Amelia Bones. A brisk breeze made her shiver, and Amelia drew her wand and cast a warming charm over Minerva before the elder witch even had a chance to drawn her own. Her lover’s navy blue eyes met hers with concern.

Minerva knew that look too well and hastened to wave away her concern.

“Oh, don’t mind me, Amelia. I just feel the cold a bit more than I used to.” She sighed as she settled into the warmth of Amelia’s charm. “I am nearly eighty years old, after all.”

Minerva had looked away by that point, so she missed the flash of sadness in the younger witch’s eyes as she tightened her hold on Minerva’s arm. Amelia knew Minerva wasn’t as young as she used to be, but it had taken until now for her to admit that she might not have as many years with Minerva as she had hoped. Amelia had been lucky, especially considering her dangerous career, but Minerva hadn’t been nearly so fortunate. Getting hit with those stunners had taken more out of Minerva than she had to spare, and she had never fully recovered, though only those who knew her best would be able to tell.

Amelia swallowed hard, reaching into the pocket of her cloak. It was time, long past time, for her to do this. If she waited any longer, she might not get another chance.

“Minerva, I know. But I know something else as well.” She let go of her lover’s arm and pulled out a ring. The stones were emeralds to match Minerva’s eyes, and two Scottish lions crouched on the gold band. As Minerva’s resigned expression gave way to pure astonishment, Amelia dropped to one knee at her feet. Amelia took the elder witch’s bare left hand in her own and desperately tried to keep her voice from shaking.

“Min, I know you’ve been married before. I never have, and I never thought marriage would be something that I would want to be a part of. But I was wrong. You’ve done the impossible, Min. You’ve stolen the heart of Amelia Bones, and I want nothing more than to tell the whole world.” She held the green eyes with her own. “I don’t know how long you and I will have. But I do know that I want us to spend the rest of our lives together, and I hope that you feel the same.” A rare blush darkened Amelia’s cheeks for reasons that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. “Minerva McGonagall, will you marry me?”

No one but the moon was witness to the first tears that Amelia had shed in many years as Minerva let Amelia slide the ring onto her finger, and Minerva’s whispered, “Yes,” was swallowed up in Amelia’s kiss.

The kiss tasted of dying leaves and aged wine.


	5. Waiting

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “waiting.”**

Amelia Bones was accustomed to waiting. Unbeknownst to most of the wizarding world, aurors spent a great deal of time waiting. Of course, there were plenty of chases and plenty of running and ambushing and interrogating. But there was a great deal more waiting involved in the decidedly unglamorous and mundane parts of their job which the public never saw. Amelia was not a particularly patient person, but she had found it necessary to learn how to wait.

She had never imagined that she would one day be waiting for her wedding.

“Are you ready to go, Amelia?” Pomona Sprout said as she popped her head into the room where Amelia had stayed when she first took up her position at Hogwarts, before she had moved into Minerva’s quarters.

Amelia was trying to avoid the cliché of the nervous bride, but she failed miserably as she managed an uncertain, tremulous smile at her friend. 

“No. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. But I’m going to do this anyway.” She paused, turning back to the mirror for a moment, inadvertently betraying just how nervous she was. Amelia was not known for her vanity. “Do you think I look appropriate?”

Pomona stifled a smile at her uncharacteristic behavior. “I think you look lovely, Amelia.” The bride wore navy blue dress robes of velvet embroidered with silver. The severe look was softened by the small silver tiara resting in Amelia’s grey hair.

“Where did you get the tiara?” Pomona asked. Amelia’s eyes were distant when she answered.

“It belonged to my mother. She wore it when she married my father. It was one of the few things that my sister and I had left from her after the Death Eaters killed her. My sister wore it at her wedding, and Susan wore it at hers. I would never have imagined that I would one day wear it too.” Amelia sighed, and Pomona saw the glimmer of tears in her friend’s eyes. “I wish more of my family had lived to see this day.”

Pomona laid a hand gently on Amelia’s tense shoulder. “Well, Susan and her husband are here, and they brought their new addition with them. You know how much Minerva loves the little one.”

Amelia laughed, and the tension went out of her shoulders. “Minerva will spoil him rotten! For his first birthday last month, she practically bought out the toy store!”

Pomona laughed too. “Minerva does so love to be a grandma.”

Amelia sobered quickly. “I’m not about to tell her no. Let her have her fun. At this point, I can’t give her a child of her own.” She sighed. “I can’t give her back the health she has lost.” She swallowed a lump in her throat, and her voice came out as a whisper. “I can’t give us the time we could have had together.”

Pomona interrupted Amelia’s dark thoughts. “But you can love her now, Amelia. Let that be enough.”

Amelia took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “It is enough. It will have to be enough because I am tired of waiting.”

Pomona smiled. “Then let’s have no more waiting. It’s time to start your forever together.”

Amelia was smiling as she followed Pomona out the door. 


	6. Hot

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “hot.”**

**Starting with this chapter, this story is going to take a much more bittersweet turn. Please make sure to read the ANs as they will give warnings. Just think about the story’s title. I named it that for a reason. Also, I am not a medical expert of any sort. I have tried to create a plausible magical disease from mundane conditions so please excuse my ineptness.**

Minerva was working in her office, double-checking the expense reports that she would be owling to the Ministry the following morning. It was only nine at night, but she was already nearly falling asleep in her chair. She frowned, removing her glasses and rubbing her eyes tiredly. Ten years ago, she could have worked all night without sleep. But now, age and health were catching up with her, and they were catching up much faster than she had expected.

Minerva clamped down on her train of thought immediately. She knew where those kinds of thoughts led, and her mortality was something that she didn’t care to think about. She’d been thinking about it too often of late as she seemed to feel the aches and pains and stiffness of her body more and more each day. Amelia was only a few years younger, but she seemed to be ten or twenty years her junior now, still spry and active while Minerva preferred to spend her leisure hours in front of the fire.

Now, people were beginning to suggest that it was time for Minerva to retire.

Since no one could see or hear her, Minerva let her guard down and buried her face in her hands. The grief welled up again, and this time, Minerva allowed it to surface fully as her body shook with the force of her sobs. Hot, angry tears coursed down her cheeks as she lamented the shadows gathering behind her. That they would catch her was inevitable; she knew that. Even wizarding kind was not immortal, though that had never stopped people like Tom Riddle from trying. 

But her days were numbered now, even more than her beloved Amelia realized. She had not told her wife what Poppy Pomfrey had revealed at her last medical exam.

While it was true that wizards were not susceptible to muggle diseases, there were wizarding diseases every bit as deadly and every bit as incurable as the most aggressive muggle cancers. In Minerva’s case, lingering tissue damage from the stunners she had been hit with had spread and mutated, slowly disrupting and breaking down the nerves that told her body how and when to move. It amounted to creeping paralysis. The condition was painful, degenerative, and incurable. It tended to start in the feet and travel upward, eventually immobilizing the rest of the body and finally the vital organs. But the organs would be the last to shut down, leaving the victim paralyzed but alive and in increasing pain for weeks or even months of suffering.

Minerva’s time was running out. And when Amelia came looking for her wife at midnight, she found her slumped over her desk. Moving the grey hair out of the way of the gaunt cheeks, Amelia saw the shine of half-dried tears and heard her shallow breathing. By the time she got her wife to the infirmary, Amelia was crying too.

Poppy took one look at the devastated Amelia and knew that Minerva’s condition wasn’t going to be a secret for much longer.


	7. Move

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “move.”**

**Please make sure to read all the ANs. I know they reveal a bit about the plot, but I want my readers to be properly warned about material that they might find distressing or objectionable. I’m moving from a general mature issues warning to a possible triggers (suicide) warning. This chapter begins to deal directly with terminal illness, end-of-life issues, and assisted suicide/euthanasia/death with dignity. I do not intend this story to be a statement of my own beliefs. Please don’t flame me or attempt to engage me in a debate about these issues. If the presence of these issues bothers you, please stop reading this story.**

“When did you intend to tell me?” Amelia asked the next evening as she sat beside her wife in the infirmary. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger-Weasley had been granted hasty reassignments to Hogwarts from the aurors and the Ministry to take over Defense against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration respectively. Filius had stepped in as acting headmaster while Hermione took over as deputy headmistress. Now cleared of their other responsibilities, Amelia was having a delicate talk with her wife. Minerva was stable, but it was clear that the disease was progressing more rapidly than Poppy had originally thought.

“I rather hoped that you would not find out,” Minerva admitted. “I didn’t want to worry you. You’ve been so happy lately with me and our little grand-nephew, and I didn’t want to ruin that.”

Amelia gently took Minerva’s head into her hands and held the tired green gaze with her own. 

“Minerva, you are the most stubborn woman in the entire magical world! You are my wife! You could never ruin anything!” Taking a breath to calm herself, Amelia kissed Minerva soundly. Minerva’s cracked lips smiled as her arms reached out to draw Amelia down beside her. Poppy wisely elected not to interfere. Amelia was delighted that her wife’s arms were still functioning, though Poppy’s scans had shown that the level of deterioration in Minerva’s legs was increasing rapidly. In another week, she would likely not be walking at all.

Amelia held Minerva for a long time, and she thought that her wife had fallen asleep. Poppy had warned her that Minerva’s stamina and energy would fade as the disease progressed. Eventually, even the simplest tasks would exhaust her. Amelia pressed her lips to Minerva’s cheek, stroking the tangled grey hair as her mind desperately tried to find a glimmer of hope for them.

“What happens when I can’t walk anymore?” 

Minerva’s voice startled Amelia. She sat up and shifted to face her wife. The smile on her face was forced, and the younger witch hoped that Minerva couldn’t tell. At the same time, she saw the look in her wife’s eyes and knew that Minerva knew that she was forcing her smile. It was reassuring, somehow, to realize that they knew each other so well.

“Hermione had a wonderful suggestion. We’re going to bespell a chair for you that will allow you to move it completely with your thoughts. It will be rather like a muggle wheelchair except that it will rely on levitation rather than wheels. You’ll be able to go pretty much wherever you want to without help.”

Minerva managed a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“That will work for a time.” The smile slipped from her face. “Amelia, what will we do when I can’t move anymore? What will happen when I’m completely paralyzed?”

Amelia looked away.

This time, it was Minerva who reached up to turn Amelia’s face back to hers. There was no hint of a smile now, and the green eyes were more serious than Amelia had ever seen them.

Minerva’s voice was low but surprisingly steady. “You listen closely to me, Amelia Bones-McGonagall. I do not want that. I do not want to live like that, completely paralyzed, with no life at all save for waiting in agony to die. I will not live like that. If I can, I will make certain that I take care of things before I get to that point. If I can’t, I want you to promise me that you will help me end it.”

Amelia’s gasp was followed by a choked, “No! I will not be your Severus Snape! How can you possibly ask it of me? How can you?”

Minerva swallowed hard. “I can ask it of you because I love you. There is no one else in this world that I would trust to help me. Damn it all, Amelia! We know that I’m dying, and we know that it will be soon! For Merlin’s sake, promise me that you will make it possible for me to die with dignity!” 

Amelia had started to cry helplessly in her wife’s weak arms, and Minerva could do nothing but lie down beside her. 

Amelia’s broken whisper was the last words heard in the infirmary that night.

“I promise.”


	8. Birthday

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “birthday.”**

**Please make sure to read all the ANs. I know they reveal a bit about the plot, but I want my readers to be properly warned about material that they might find distressing or objectionable. This chapter comes with a possible triggers (suicide) warning. This chapter also deals directly with terminal illness, end-of-life issues, and assisted suicide/euthanasia/death with dignity. Remember that this is the magical world; what Kingsley gives Amelia is a potion. I will give no more details about it. I do not intend this story to be a statement of my own beliefs. Please don’t flame me or attempt to engage me in a debate about these issues. If the presence of these issues bothers you, please stop reading this story.**

It was six more months before Amelia faced the repercussions of her promise. The chair worked very well for Minerva in the beginning, and she was happy to be able to travel the halls of her school (even if Hermione and Filius were doing a majority of the work) without having a crowd of attendants. Amelia, however, wouldn’t budge from her side, and Minerva gave up trying to get her wife to rest. She just didn’t have the energy to disagree, and it was a great comfort to know that Amelia was always there.

As Minerva’s eighty-fifth birthday approached, she was finding it difficult to gather the energy to do much of anything. Poppy had warned them that this would happen, and Minerva simply sighed in resignation. She’d long since lost all feeling in the lower half of her body, but now, her arms and shoulders were stiffening up. She’d lost the ability to hold a quill, to turn the pages of a book, and to brush her hair. Without a word, Amelia had taken over feeding her because Minerva could not even hold a fork anymore. But perhaps what hurt the most was that Minerva could no longer use her wand, and wandless magic required more energy than she had to spare. The proud Gryffindor lioness was now essentially a squib. 

On the morning of her eighty-fifth birthday, Minerva knew that she would not see her eighty-sixth. And she also knew that it was time to make a choice.

Amelia felt her wife’s green eyes on her all day. They spoke little as she moved through the routine of caring for Minerva’s needs. She bathed her, dressed her, fed her, brushed her teeth, and helped her in the bathroom. There would be a small celebration in Minerva’s honor after the students were sent off to their dorms following the evening meal, and Minerva had found enough energy to insist that they should both wear dress robes. Amelia did not hesitate to humor her wife, and she did her best to ignore how loosely Minerva’s dress robes fit her skeletal frame. Of course, Amelia’s robes hung loosely as well from too many days and nights devoted wholly to her wife’s needs, but Amelia didn’t even notice. 

However, others noticed. When Minister Shacklebolt detached himself from the crowd and pulled Amelia aside, she realized just how much her auror comrade had noticed.

“Amelia, I have brought you something.” He paused and cast a concealment charm before handing over a small cushioned pouch. She stared at him blankly for a moment before understanding dawned.

“You know.” It was not a question.

The dark eyes held hers as solemnly as Minerva’s eyes had that awful night six months previous.

“I guessed. Apparently, I guessed correctly.” He paused, staring into the navy blue eyes of the woman into whose hands he’d placed his life so very many times. He’d officiated at the marriage rite between her and Minerva, and he’d watched helplessly as Minerva deteriorated. He knew Amelia better than probably anyone alive except Minerva, and Amelia’s desperate glance during their last floo call had told him what she needed more clearly than any words.

“I know you, Amelia. I know you well enough to know that you will never allow anyone to suffer needlessly, regardless of what it costs you in the process.” He glanced quickly down at the pouch that Amelia was tucking into a pocket of her robe. “What you need is in there.”

Amelia spoke quietly. “Will it be quick and painless?”

He nodded evenly. “Yes. Just swallow it. There is no need for preparation.”

Amelia breathed out carefully. “Thank you, Kingsley.” She started to turn away, assuming he was finished.

“There are two vials in the pouch.”

Startled, she turned back to him. He shook his head, cutting off whatever she might have said. The tension eased as she realized that he would say nothing of what she realized he knew.

“As I said, I know you, Amelia.” Kingsley drew his wand, coming to stand at attention in front of her and extending his wand toward her in the auror salute, as he had done so many times over the years. 

“It has been a pleasure to serve with you, Amelia.” If his normally smooth voice was rougher than usual, it was certainly understandable.

Amelia drew her own wand, coming to attention and returning the salute, her eyes blurring for a moment behind unshed tears.

“Kingsley, it has been an honor to serve with you as well.” She swallowed carefully. “Take care of yourself and the others.”

He nodded. “You have my word.” Before he could think better of it, he had reached out and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead gently. A shudder went through him that shook Amelia as well as she returned Kingsley’s first and last embrace. She rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

Then the moment was over, and they separated, watching as couples rose to dance to Minerva’s favorite classical piano music. Amelia saw the look of anguished nostalgia on Minerva’s face as she watched her family and friends do what she could not.

“Excuse me, Kingsley.” She hurried past him to go to her wife’s side. Minerva looked up at her.

“Would you like to dance, Min?” 

Minerva looked bewildered and perilously close to tears. “How can we?”

Amelia smiled, brushing the tears away. “I will carry you.”

Quickly, Amelia cast the charms that she used every day to care for her wife. Making sure to cast an extra warming charm, she lifted Minerva into her arms. The dancing couples made way for them.

As the music played softly, tear-blurred eyes from many faces watched Minerva and Amelia’s last dance.


	9. Ready

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

 ** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “ready.”**

**This chapter comes with a possible triggers (suicide) warning. This chapter also deals directly with terminal illness, end-of-life issues, and assisted suicide/euthanasia/death with dignity. I do not intend this story to be a statement of my own beliefs, religious or ethical, and I am not trying to support or discourage the choices that Minerva and Amelia make. Please don’t flame me or attempt to engage me in a debate about these issues. If the presence of these issues bothers you, please stop reading this story. This chapter follows immediately after where the previous “Birthday” chapter left off. While this chapter is not the moment that I know that you are probably waiting on, it does lead up to it. There will be two more chapters after this one.**

It was past ten that night before Amelia took her exhausted wife back to their quarters. It had been Minerva herself who insisted on staying to greet absolutely everyone after she and Amelia had danced. Minerva had refused to relinquish their grand-nephew until the very last moment, and she had only reluctantly parted from Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Amelia suspected she knew why.

Minerva had been saying goodbye.

Amelia went through the usual motions of locking and silencing the doors and blocking the floo. When she turned to Minerva to begin helping her get ready for bed, her wife shook her head, one of the few things she could still do.

“No. I’m staying just like this and so are you. It’s how I want it to be. Let me be remembered this way. Let my last sight of you be this way.”

Amelia sat down beside her and raised her shaking hands to cup her wife’s face.

“Minerva, what are you saying?”

Her wife took a breath and spoke with a voice that was surprisingly steady.

“Amelia, I’m ready to go. I’m ready to go now.” She paused, swallowing back a sob. “Will you keep your promise to me?”

The younger witch swallowed her own sob. By sheer force of will, she steadied herself. 

“I will. Merlin help me, but I will.” Still, she couldn’t resist one more desperate attempt. “Minerva, maybe there’s still a chance. The healers at St. Mungo’s have been working around the clock, and Hermione thinks that some of their ideas have promise. Maybe we could wait just a little while.”

Minerva’s response was as gentle as her touch would have been if she could have made her arms move enough to caress her wife’s face. 

“Amelia, it’s too late for me. You know that. I can barely move my arms any more, and my neck is getting stiffer each day. Soon, I will be completely paralyzed. My pain is increasing, and Poppy cannot give me stronger pain potions than I am already taking. I cannot do this anymore.”

Amelia wept.

For a long time, there was silence save for Amelia’s sobbing as she lay against Minerva’s stiff shoulder. Finally Amelia sat up, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry about that.”

Minerva laughed weakly. “That’s the most absurd thing that I have ever heard you say. If anyone was entitled to a good cry, you were. And if you hadn’t made one last attempt to talk me out of what I want to do, I would have worried about you.”

“Are you remembering constant vigilance?” Amelia asked, and both of them chuckled softly at that.

“I’ve never forgotten it. We can thank Alastor for that one.” Minerva paused, her eyes distant. “Do you think I’ll see him on the other side of the Veil?”

Amelia managed to smile. “I think you’ll see him and so many others. Albus will be waiting of course…and Severus.”

Minerva smiled sadly. “Do you think he found Lily?”

“I’m sure he did, and Lily was never the type to hold a grudge.” Amelia hesitated. “I’m looking forward to seeing my parents and the rest of my family again.”

Minerva nodded with difficulty. “I’m looking forward to meeting your family.” Then she froze, her eyes widening. “Amelia, why would you be looking forward to seeing them now? I’m the one who is leaving.”

Amelia shook her head. “You are only half right.” She paused. “I’m coming too.”

Minerva no longer had the energy to be furious, but her green eyes flashed like a curse. 

“You most certainly are not! You’ve got many good years ahead of you! There’s no reason at all for you to die too!”

Amelia traced her hand gently down Minerva’s pale face. “That is where you are wrong. I have been blessed, once in my life, to fall in love. That’s something I can’t undo, and I wouldn’t try. You’ve made me happier than I ever dreamed possible, and I’m not about to let you go. When we married, we made vows to each other. Minerva, I promised you forever. This is how I choose to keep my promise.”

Then it was Minerva’s turn to cry.

Sometime later, Minerva spoke again. “Kingsley gave it to you tonight, didn’t he?”

Amelia sighed. “Yes. He assured me it’s quick and painless with no preparation. Just drink it.” She glanced sidelong at Minerva. “He gave me two vials.”

Her wife’s eyes widened. “He knew?”

Amelia nodded. “He knew. He and I worked together for years. Kingsley probably knows me better than anyone besides you. He knew that if you were ready than I would be ready too.” 

“I wondered about how the two of you said goodbye tonight. It was rather emotional for you both.” Minerva’s knowing glance was unavoidable.

Amelia could do nothing but agree. “As I said, he knew. He knew our goodbye tonight was for the last time.” 

Another silence followed. Then Minerva said, “Just as our dance tonight was our last dance.”

Amelia cupped her wife’s face in her shaking hands. “It was only our last dance on this side of the Veil. We will dance together again soon in a place where time can’t touch us.”

“Do you promise?” Minerva whispered. 

Amelia kissed her gently. “I promise, and you know I always keep my promises.”

Minerva sighed. “Then keep the promise you made to me six months ago. Help me end this. I’m ready now.”

Amelia took a deep breath…and made her final choice. “If you’re ready than I’m ready too.” 


	10. Alone

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “alone.”**

**This chapter comes with a possible triggers (suicide) warning. This chapter also deals directly with terminal illness, end-of-life issues, and assisted suicide/euthanasia/death with dignity. I do not intend this story to be a statement of my own beliefs, religious or ethical, and I am not trying to support or discourage the choices that Minerva and Amelia make. Please don’t flame me or attempt to engage me in a debate about these issues. If the presence of these issues bothers you, please stop reading this story. There will be one more chapter after this one, and it will be posted today. I thought about making this chapter longer, but I decided to keep it as is. It was hard for me to write, and I hope I did it justice.**

Quickly and quietly, Amelia made the remainder of the necessary preparations. She carefully removed the vials from the pouch, setting them on the table beside the bed. From the darker side of her many years as an auror, Amelia knew immediately what potion Kingsley had given her, and she knew that it would work just as he had promised. She debated for a moment over sending her Patronus to him to thank him again, but she decided against it. Neither she nor Kingsley liked long goodbyes. What needed to be said between them had been said, and she could take comfort in leaving the world, as Minerva would, with no loose ends.

She turned back to their bed and curled around her wife, shifting her gaunt form easily into her arms. Amelia moved Minerva so they could face each other. Her wife’s green eyes were tired but very much aware although Amelia noticed the pain lingering within them.

“I could get you a pain potion,” Amelia offered softly.

Minerva managed to shake her head just a little. “No. It may interfere with the potion. It’s not as if it matters much now anyway.” She sighed, her green gaze sharpening on Amelia. “Tell me the truth, love. Knowing what you do now about how things would end for us, would you do it again? Would you marry me again even knowing the cost?”

Amelia felt the sob rise in her throat but she swallowed it back. “I would marry you again in a heartbeat, Minerva! Never doubt that. These years that we have had together have been the happiest years of my life, and I wouldn’t trade a moment of them for anything in the world.” She blinked back tears. “This life is ending for us. But a new one is about to begin.”

Minerva smiled. “Kiss me, Amelia.”

They kissed, and it was like the first time all over again. It tasted of sweet wine, bittersweet chocolate, the earth during the death of winter, and the promise of new life in the spring. It tasted of their life together, the death they would now share, and their rebirth in a place beyond their comprehension.

The kiss broke. Amelia said, “My greatest fear has always been that I would die alone.”

Minerva’s eyes were full of tears. “It has been the same for me.”

Amelia tightened her hold on her wife and whispered fervently, “That will never happen now. We are together. We will be together forever.” She paused, looking into the precious green eyes. “I love you, Minerva.”

Minerva’s whisper was pained, and it was clear that speaking was becoming a chore.

“I love you, Amelia.”

Before she could lose her nerve, Amelia took the vial of potion, uncorked it, and tipped it into Minerva’s open mouth, stroking her throat to help her swallow. Dropping the empty vial, she reached for her own and downed it. 

It was just as Kingsley had promised, painless and quick. The last thing Minerva and Amelia saw were each other’s eyes. The last thing they felt was each other’s lips as they met in one last kiss.


	11. Rising

** Disclaimer ** **: I don’t own it, and I am making no money off of it.**

 ** AN ** **: The prompt for this chapter was “rising.”**

**This is the end of this story. I’m issuing no warnings for this chapter because they no longer apply. I will point out that it takes place in the “afterlife” which I have interpreted to mean as “beyond the Veil.” My extrapolations on this point are purely for the sake of the story and are a result of me trying to bring it in line with the beliefs that I think the canonical Minerva and Amelia would hold. This chapter is not meant as a religious or spiritual statement on my part. However, I do hope it leaves you with a sense of peace and satisfaction.**

Minerva opened her eyes to warmth and light. She blinked in the bright sun for a moment until her vision adjusted and a very familiar hand squeezed hers.

“Amelia?” Minerva sat up, marveling that she could and found herself looking into the laughing blue eyes of her wife. They sat on a tartan blanket on a hillside covered with wildflowers overlooking a lake. A hand on her face drew her attention back to Amelia.

“Who else would it be? Didn’t I promise you that I wouldn’t leave you?” Amelia looked her over with that mischievous gleam that Minerva recognized from when they had both been decades younger. “I must say, you’re looking damn good, Min!”

Minerva laughed and examined herself. Her body was strong and healthy again, and her black hair tumbled loose down her back. But above all, the paralysis was gone. Amelia, too, was changed. Her grey hair was brown now, and the wrinkles and marks of age had disappeared. The reckless auror of old had returned, the only difference being that she now wore a wedding band on her finger.

“We really are here, aren’t we?” Minerva asked in a voice full of wonder and awe. “This is the other side of the Veil. I wonder where everyone is.”

Amelia laughed. “Are you really so eager to have company? The Veil is Mother Magic Herself after all. She will make sure that they wait until we’re ready.” She glanced sidelong at Minerva. “You know, this would be a perfect time for me to fulfill my other promise to you.”

Minerva shifted to her knees just because she could. She eyed her wife curiously. 

“You followed me even into death. Which promise to me could you possibly have left unfulfilled?”

Amelia leapt lightly to her feet, pulling Minerva with her. “I believe that I promised you a dance.” She held out her arms. “Dance with me, Min.”

Minerva’s green eyes widened even further as she remembered. 

“But we have no music,” she said and caught herself as she inadvertently repeated the words that had started them on the path to marriage when Amelia had accepted Minerva’s job offer. 

Like she had the first time, Amelia said, “Dance with me anyway.”

They held each other close and danced together into eternity. 


End file.
